Customer Reviews

Weird Science - The Complete Seasons 1 & 2

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In 1985, when film director John Huges made a slapstick teen comedy about two sex obsessed teens who used a computer(?) to create a very real perfect woman, audiences politely said "No thank you". In fact "Weird Science" is one of Huges' least appreciated films. Today the film has a small devoted audience but in 1994, for some reason, USA network decided to invest in the Weird Science franchised and bring the lack luster movie to the small screen. The result was "Weird Science" the TV show which, after a somewhat bumpy start, surpassed the movie in a few surprising ways.

Huges had based his movie version more on the Frankenstein/Bride of Frankenstein films. Producers Tom Spezialy and Alan Cross wisely decide to base the TV series on a more recent classic..."I Dream of Jennie". The Lisa character became much more like an ecentric genie whoes wishes didn't always go as planned. The roles of Gary Wallace and Wyatt Donnelly were teen versions of Major Healy and Major Nelson respectfully. Wyatt's sadistic older brother Chett (played by the brillant Lee Tergesen of "OZ" fame) took the brunt of many of Lisa's antics as did Principal Scampi, both actors taking a liking to the franzeled Doctor Belows character.

After a few akward and somewhat uncomfoiratable episodes were Gary and Wyatt "create" Lisa then try hitting on her consistenly, the show settles down into a more user friendly "wish of the week" formate. The show is still far more sexual than "I dream of Jennie" ever was (we see a little more than Lisa's belly button) and is not really appropraite for kids under 13 since Gary and Wyatt often wish for attention from the opposite sex. As the show moved into the second season less empasis was put on sex and more on crazy antics, also Lee Tergesen takes on a stronger role. Also story lines began riffing more on popular culture like the movie "E.T"., "2001", and video games.

A&E, the distrubuters of the DVDs, wisely choose to combine the first two seasons as both are well under the standard 22 episodes. However few extras are on the set, a few commentaries by actors John Mallory Asher (Gary Wallace), Vanessa Angel (Lisa), and Michael Manasseri. (Wyatt Donnelly) give a little insight into the show, like the fact that Seth Green almost got the role of Gary and that John Ashers real mom played his TV mom. A trivia game and actor bios are also added but bring little value to the set as a whole.

"Weird Science" will never be mentioned in the same breath as "The Honeymooners" or "Seinfeld", reguardless the show is surprisingly enjoyable. It is simply a fun little show that manages to hit more right notes than wrong ones, which is always rare in television.

I'm going to be honest. I bought this simply because I had some extra cash burning a hole in my pocket. I had never seen this show before, I was only familiar with one actress in the regular cast, Vanessa Angel played Freya on SG1, and I don't usually like the Bewitched type of show this was. Namely that a beautiful woman can alter time and space by will alone and yet never seems to get the spells she casts right. However I was pleasently shocked by the fairly clever jokes, the descent graphics and the genuine, be careful what you wish for, story. I will admit that these episodes do get a little formulaic, most of the episodes are: horny, dumb friend makes a horny, dumb wish, the beautiful woman grants the wish, and the good, honorable friend gets them both out of the cosequences. Still the stories are good enough to justify it. Actually this reminded me sharply of Bedazzled. If you like that movie you should like this and vice-versa. For those of you hoping for an overall story arc I must say that there is none. They are all stand alones. And if you are in high school, or just out this will be much funnier and more relevent to you, but anyone who has lived through that horror will be able to relate. Lastly on the adult level, let me say it this way. If I Dream of Jeannie was the equivalent of a k-mart lingerie catalog then this is victoria secret. Nothing vile or completely over the edge of taste but it is a lot closer to that line.

I highly recommend this show, Im so glad its getting the DVD release it deserves! Although I love the original john hughes weird science, I actually enjoyed this show alot more. Each episode involves a different unique scenerio that keeps the show fresh through out the whole series. They stopped showing reruns on TV awhile ago, and I could watch reruns all day of this, im glad that soon I will be able to do that. If you like the movie, you will love this show...PICK IT UP!!!

Based on the classic 1985 John Hughes comedy that starred Anthony Michael Hall and Kelly LeBrock, this is the tale of Wyatt and Gary, two high school misfits who create a sexy woman out of a computer. She acts as their own private genie, granting them whatever wish they desire just to navigate the wonderful worlds of teen life and high school, lol. Vanessa Angel plays Lisa, the woman of their (computer) dreams, John Mallory Asher is Gary and Michael Manisseri is Wyatt. If you like fun little shows like this, you should grab a copy. I like it.

sorry about the cryptiv 80's song reference-machinations"no say in it")
loved the orignal jh movie.remembered sexy vanessa angel from 'spies like us" and gambled on this unseen,unknown box set.i couldn't be happierr. every ep has comedical twists so it's not predictable.wyatt and earp are sooooo funny.vnaessa nagel is cute and cuddly and adorable in a girl next door type you could bring hom home.i prefer this tv version than kelly le brock who seemed posh and snobby and skanky.

laughs and babes and specisl effects make this a ' must buy ' .

bring on the rest.
i'd like 'lisa' outtakes .

I was thrilled that A&E FINALLY released this series, or at least the first two seasons, onto a DVD set. This is my all-time favorite sitcom, in serious competition with greats like 'Three's Company', 'Married... With Children', and 'South Park'.

Spinning off from the 1985 John Hughes cult classic, with geeky high school pals Gary Wallace (John Mallory Asher) and Wyatt Donnelly (Michael Manasseri), inspired by 'The Bride of Frankenstein', attempting to create a virtual woman to learn more about the opposite sex, but by some twist in the time-space continuum, they unwittingly create a real, live woman; Lisa (the GORGEOUS Vanessa Angel), who is capable of manipulating reality to grant the boys' wishes... and frequently screwing with the already warped mind of Wyatt's somewhat sadistic older brother, Chett (the HILARIOUS Lee Tergessen, whose every word is pure comedy gold).

Season 1 is a loose remake of the film, featuring Lisa's creation in the pilot, 'She's Alive', which is actually pretty faithful to the opening of the film, and the second-to-last episode of the season, 'Killer Party', takes the premise of the boys throwing a party at Wyatt's house, but vastly changing the plot and the outcome. There really aren't any episodes I don't like, but if I had to pick a favorite from Season 1 I'd have to go with 'Sex Ed', as one of the great Gary-centric episodes.

Season 2 is equally, if not more, hilarious. Favorites include 'The Most Dangerous Wish', 'Nightmare On Chett Street', 'Magic For Beginners' (which prominently features series regular, the great Bruce Jarchow as Principal Scampi, Chett's sworn nemesis), and 'Chett Reborn'.

The set features commentaries by John Asher, Michael Manasseri, and Vanessa Angel for 'She's Alive', 'The Bazooka Boys', and 'The Most Dangerous Wish', and I recommend them for fans. Michael Manasseri gives great insight into the technical aspects of TV production, and John Asher and Vanessa Angel are a delight to listen to as they share some of the backstories and joking that went on behind the scenes. They all seem to agree that Chett was the funniest character, and although Gary was my favorite character, I concur. Having gone back and watched YEARS later, I realize I still regularly spout Chett one-liners, having totally forgotten where I ripped them off of.

The only thing that would've made the set perfect would've been the inclusion of seasons 3, 4, and 5. Seasons 3 and 4 both tie for my favorite, and 4 features my favorite episode 'Lisa's Childhood Memories'. But I went ahead and gave the set five stars because just having 1 and 2, as well as commentaries, is very exciting for me considering how much I loved this show when it first aired on the USA Network. It was a show for basic cable, and although it's appeared on ABC Family in the interim, and they mention it being a "family friendly" show in the commentary, some of the jokes are very liberal/sexually oriented and true to John Hughes' source material. Along with 'Duckman', it aired pretty late originally, right before another childhood favorite USA Up All Night.

Highly recommended for anyone, but fans especially shouldn't hesitate to pick it up, or else my dream of 'Weird Science' on DVD might go the way of another favorite Universal-produced series, 'Night Gallery'. Here's hoping for the rest of 'em.

This was an awesome show that I highly recommend! It was great watching this growing up in the 90's and I hope this show will get the respect that it deserves and the other seasons will be released on dvd as well.

If you don't have this BUY IT!

Excellent for any sort of gift - Birthday, Christmas, Whatever... Any 90's kid will remember it.

Well nothing more to add on the series and it's greatness that hasn't already been mentioned , just wanted to put in my vote for the remaining seasons. Seems like alot of shows that i like start out with a bang , then they never finish releasing the remaining seasons.For an example, Facts of Life and Living Single, just to mention two, so if the executives are reading these reviews as a way to gage whether or not they will shell out the cash for the future releases, i can say that i for one am in, and will be one of the first to pre-order once available!

If you liked the movie, you'll enjoy this TV series.
OK, it pushes the bounds of reality, but that's the fun of it. The movie took a teen male fantasy of creating a woman for their own purposes and the series expands on it. Many story lines deal with the concept of "be careful what you wish for". The male stars will remind you of the originals. Lisa has little resemblence to Kelly LeBrock. She is basically a genie. She can create magical things, but they are shortlived... most of the time thankfully so!
Overall, a fun watch.
}:o)

This is a great series! The way mixed scenes from the show and from the original movie when Gary and Wyatt were creating Lisa in "She's Alive" was incredible. John Asher, Michael Manassari and Vanessa Angel are hilarious in this show and Vanessa Angel is sssssmokin'-hot! I can't wait for the rest of "Weird Science" to be released on DVD!